April 17, 2015
A roundup of Romanian and international news
Ştefan Stoica, 17.04.2015, 12:00
Two major international military exercises take place in Romania, under NATO command, in the current security context in the region. In the south-east of the country Wind Spring 2015 is under way, which brings together over 2200 troops from Romania, the US, UK and the Republic of Moldova. Until April the 30th, are practicing operational planning, live fire and complex tactical situation solving. Câmpia Turzii, in the north-west, is also hosting joint military exercises involving over 350 American troops and nearly 300 Romanian military. The commander of the US unit, Lt. Gen. Darryl Roberson, said this exercise was a response from NATO allies to Russia.
The unemployment rate in Romania last year was 6.8%, down from 7.1%, the previous year, according to data made public by the National Statistics Institute today. The employment rate among active population (15-64 years of age) was 61%. The employment rate in the 20-64 age bracket was 65.7%, which is 4.3% less than the national target laid down in the Europa 2020 Strategy. In 2014, Romania’s active population was 9.2 million people, of which 8.6 million people employed and 629 thousand unemployed.
The Romanian Finance Minister Eugen Teodorovici has meetings in Washington today with representatives of the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank and rating agencies. Talks will focus on the measures included in the draft Fiscal Code, on the stage of budget execution and of the implementation of the measures agreed on with the international financial institutions. Minister Eugen Teodorovici is heading Romania’s delegation to the spring meeting of the IMF and World Bank, taking place between April the 16th and 19th.
The Ministry for European Funds is today launching the 2014-2020 Operational Programme on Human Capital. The document lays down Romania’s priorities in terms of employment, especially among youth, of social inclusion and education. The goals include improving the access to a high-quality education and professional training system, boosting employment, reducing poverty by improved access to social and healthcare services. The total budget of the programme is around 5 billion euros, of which more than 4 billion euros come from European funds.
Germany pays tribute today to the 150 victims of the Germanwings plane crash in the French Alps, nearly four weeks after the tragedy. Around 1.400 people, mostly families of the victims, the German president Joachim Gauck and Chancellor Angela Merkel are taking part in the national memorial service, France Presse reports.
Romania is represented in the finals of the European Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Montpellier (France) by five athletes, three girls – Diana Bulimar and Laura Jurca — in the all-round event, and Andreea Munteanu, in the beam and floor events—and two boys: Marius Berbecar and Andrei Muntean, in the parallel bars event. The all-round final takes place today, and the other finals are scheduled for Saturday and Sunday. At the end of the competition in Montpellier, the president of the European Gymnastics Union will hand over the Union colours to the host of the 2017 European championships, Bucharest.
